Republic Recycling still working on traffic design improvements with Freetown proposal

Sunday

Feb 23, 2014 at 5:00 PMFeb 23, 2014 at 11:04 PM

Jeffrey D. WagnerCorrsepondent

FREETOWN — A national recycling company has encountered some internal issues with its bid for opening a recycling facility on Ridge Hill Road near the former Boston Beer Co. property.

Republic Recycling representatives have met with the Planning Board for the past several months, and the board has asked for more traffic-design improvements to take place. Specifically, the company has been asked to widen the intersection of Ridge Hill Road and South Main Street to include a third lane. The company is working with adjacent property owners on land-taking issues, according to planning technician Lauren Moreau.

Planning Board Vice Chairman Keven Desmarais has said that the latter issue has caused delays for the company. In December, the company was poised to complete all work necessary to satisfy the Planning Board. As of the Feb. 18 meeting, the company told the board it had more work to do.

Desmarais said that the road improvements will allow some of the tractor-trailers traveling north and south to more easily turn into Ridge Hill Road, and that the traffic mitigation will improve safety.

Jeff Burdick, the company’s president, could not be reached. Earlier this year, Burdick confirmed that the company plans to redevelop the former Weyerhaeuser building on Campanelli Drive. He said there will be infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the 85,000-square-foot facility’s blueprint, including road and building upgrades. Burdick said the facility will also employee at least 50 people when it is operating at full capacity.

Burdick said there will be an uptick in truck traffic but that it would be restricted to weekdays from 6 a.m to 4 p.m. He noted that the facility would also be located next to Route 24, mitigating traffic on South Main Street.

The company takes single-stream recycling materials from customers and feeds them into a hopper and then into a conveyor before employees sort it out. It is then compressed into a square bale and sent out.